Product Description

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
jesse james
from Fl

Date Reviewed: June 27, 2002

Strengths: this is a jumping mother... it manuals like nobodies business, even at 40 pounds feel free to spin it flip it blow out big a$$ wall rides, the skies the limit with this bike. this bike looks pretty good but the real beef is in the ride.

Weaknesses: first they are not as easy to get as most bikes... but they are not most bikes. secondly (and i know this would happen to any bike short of a real freestyle/street machine) when ever i would slip off or come up short on a sprocket stall i dented her downtube like a mother trucker.

Bottom Line:

if you are getting too big for 20" stuff or just getting bored with it you can in no way go wrong with this frame

Strengths: Hey, this is a review for a TMX. 1.steel-strength, stiffness, plus theres just "something" about a burly steel bike that gives ya lots of confidence. 2.Avalanche-the Avalanche rear shock is great! Let me tell ya, this bike would blow a Fox in a minute. The guys at Avalanche know their crap, for sure. 3.Jackshaft-this bike pedals awesome, thanks to the jackshaft. It's also very stiff. I find this suspension design great for gaps and jumps and drops. Also 10.5" of travel. Not only that, but you have loads of clearence with a Jackshaft. Nice. 4. Fork bumper-why the heck don't other companies to this? It's just common sense! 5.Floating Brake-its so nice to feel your suspension working completely when you are breaking. So many bikes have that problem. 6.Profile Cranks-will not break. Better than RF because your bottom bracket won't crap out. Bike is sized perfect I think. Gussetts. LARGE burly bb and pivot area.

Weaknesses: Okay-a TMX is not really that expensive. You get:frame, shock,seatpost,cranks,bottom bracket,seatclamp,rear hub, floating brake, and chainguide. If you build your own bike, you know how much of a hassle it can be to install cranks and chainguide.Believe it or not, my friend just broke his TMX. This just happened a couple weeks back. Well, not exactly broken, but he buckled and cracked both the top and downtube at the headtube-yes,with gussets and reinforced rings. He was riding normal(10' to flat) and has only had bike for about 6 months. What the hell? And I can't say their taking care of him... which is dissapointing. The BMW guys seem really nice, but... Also seatpost kinda sucks-I mean it's strong, but you have to use crappy seat guts which break. Other than that, it's great.

Bottom Line:

Okay... this is the DH bike you want. There's really nothing like a Brooklyn. I don't know what to think about my friend breaking one, as it's never happened before-and we're from Wyoming! If you are into real abusive riding, this is your dream bike. It handles drops, gaps, jumps, rock gardens, stairs, anything you throw at it. The best bike I've riden by far. Even in recent developments, I would not ride anything else. My TMX weighs about 65 lbs, but it manuals awesome, and pedals like a bloody hardtail. If you have the money and don't buy a TMX you're cheating yerself. That is all. Five Chilis for this!!!

THIS IS THE GREATEST BOMBING BIKE, the way I have it setup allows me to do everything from stair gaps to race, because it has sooo many advantages over traditional DH bikes, like the presence of the jack shaft, allows you to ride over anything. I love this bike and have waited for it for so long, basically emptied the bank account for it but well worht it. GO GET ONE

Weaknesses: tight rear tire clearance but the frame is custom so this can be avoided (for me re-welded)

Bottom Line:

bottom line this bike is awesome. what makes this bike stand apart from others is it uses a shimano nexus hub. internal gearing, no chain slap or derailments ever. the pivot is centered around the bottom bracket so the chain line remains constant allowing a gearing system with no chain slack. its 4130 steel, gets from 3 inches to about 4.5 with 3 different shock settings (progressiveness and subtleness all change as well). this is the ultimate stunt/jumping-go-big-like-you-could-ride-a-bmx machine. its like a mini moto bike. the reason i am reviewing it here is because this is actually a brooklyn designed suspension bike (design originally found on bmw full susy bmx bikes) and later evolved in to the super trucker, park ranger, and at last, the TMX. it was welded by chris beech aka thick bikes and they are availble custom, any angle length you need. it bobs a bit but it is not for racing and is not a blazingly fast bike. just good clean fun for huge drops and stunt riding. check it out at thickbikes.com.

Strengths: You name it and it is a strength: steel frame, Jackshaft, and everything else.

Weaknesses: It does not have the floating rear break like the TMX.

Bottom Line:

This bike is one of a kind It is the first Park Ranger. It has 8in of rear travel, it is all steel so it you know it wont break, and the funny thing is that it is about three years old and is still more advanced than almost every other bike out there. This bike kicks A$$ I rode it for the first day and hit every big drop in CP from 7ft - 12ft to flat. This bike is made just for that sort of thing, big to flat. The bike ate it up like nothing. The Avalanche shock whoops a$$ I have never felt anything like it. The weight could be a factor if you are a week b!tch and to lazy to work out a little but I dont see it being a problem for me. The Jackshaft works very well and I am so impressed with the whole package. I had a Disco before I got this bike and let me tell you what hahahahhahhahahahahaha this bike kicks its a$$ sooooo bad. But it is an old proto type and it is the only one so you couldnt get one even if you wanted to but take it from me get a Brooklyn bike of some kind and I'm sure you will feel the same!!!!!

Strengths: with 10.5" of travel this bike sucks up everything you throw at it.

Weaknesses: some people say weight but like others below have said the way the bike handles makes up for it. if you want to put the hayes 8" brakes on it you have to do some work with the grinder to make the adapter fit with the brake mount(its really not that big of a deal, the guys at brooklyn told me to do this and I haven't had any problems yet)

Bottom Line:

the bottom line is this bike kicks a$$. the first time i took this bike out riding i kind of struggled to adapt to the weight, but after about a week I found that the bike became easier to handle and the weight was actually some what of a strength. i've only had the bike for a couple weeks now and i'm on it every chance I get. my only complaint is that the frame can hold up to more than the parts on it can, yesterday i bent the lower crown on the s8 on a drop off of a building, no i'm not some fatass riding this bike i'm only 16, and as far as i'm concerned stratos needs to make some more reliable crowns for their forks. otherwise i wouldn't trade this bike for any other out there except for maybe the brooklyn masterplan, but they're not exactly selling that, at least that i'm aware of. anyways this is by far the plushest bike out there and if you've got the money to spend on it, its worth every penny. however i'm not sure that i would've bought this bike because of the price had i not had a job at the local bike shop.

Strengths: -Made of 4130 that will last for years-8.5-10.5" of super-plush travel-Stiff-Pedals much better than the weight would lend you to believe(jack-shaft is truly the way to go)-Great craftmanship from a company committed to making kickass USA-made bikes

It took me forever to find it,but after you ride the TMX you won't wanna ride anything else.I almost bought the Karpiel,but after testing the TMX it was no contest.I mean,how can you go wrong with a bike named "Total Motocross?!"From DH racing to house drops,this bike can take it all and keep on goin'.Some would say weight is a weakness,but I don't.This bike is confidence-inspiring in how it sucks up everything you throw at it.The words most constantly uttered by a TMX rider are,"Was that REALLY a 15-foot drop?"Screw picking good lines--just plant ass and pedal.The 10.5" will sort it out.

Dial back the travel to 8.5" and the TMX becomes a racer.It pedals as well as(or better than)anything else out there.Credit goes to the jack-shaft drivetrain that keeps the suspension active no matter what the rider is doing.Even on flats this bike will keep up with lighter machines,no problem.I scored an excellent 5th place finish at the expert race at Plattekill using this bike,while the highest I ever got with my old Super-8 was 8th.The company is great too,always willing to answer any questions I had about my bike and how to set it up(thanks guys!)The price may be high,but judging by all the hours of CNC machining,welding,and design that goes into each bike I'd say it's well worth it.This bike will last a very long time.1,000 burning sh$t piles!

Strengths: maturing into a well rounded classiccustom built for you by people who carebuilt to last, no corners cutnot as heavy as people make out

Weaknesses: some people don't like steel?

Bottom Line:

well - i've seen a lot of these in the park and at plattekill and demoed one around soho, and i won't repeat what others have said below... let's just say this - they speak the truth.

there are some prototype ones roaming NYC which weigh less than 45 pounds...with serious rubber - so you can build it up as a racer (with a boxxer or shiver), or just to go large (with all the avalanche suspension pieces - up to 60lb)

the frame does everything well and it's probably the toughest, most bomb proof frame out there -

The TMX is truly a work of art although form definately follows function. It is important to note that the TMX is not primerily designed as a race bike, but rather as an indestructable DH/stunt machine that is as happy flying down a mountain as it is dropping of a house.This is not to say that one cannot build up a TMX for racing just that this is not its primary function. In fact the last expert race of the Kamikazee series at Mountain Creekwas won on a TMX, racing against the usual suspects - Intense, Karpiel, Yeti etc.

Although the various technological achievements of the TMX can be found on other bikes (jack shaft - Balfa, Cannondale (99), floating brake - Tomac (sort of), 3" stroke shock - Intense) nowhere in the biking world have these performance advantages been combined in to one cohesive package.

The bike simply works amazingly well. One can pedal through sections that require coasting on any other bike. I pedaled down a set of stairs the other day! There is nothing plusher out there. The bike will allow you to ride over things that you will not believe and it takes drops like nothing out there.

The only concerns are the weight and the price. It is possible to build up a TMX to the mid 40lb mark but the frame is heavy although it pedals so efficently that one hardly notices once the bike is up to speed. The price is high but considering that all the refinments you are getting and theamount ofwelding and cnc work involved I think the cost is justified. This really is an ultimate performance vehicle and because it is made of steel it will last more than one season.

The most incredible, beastly, undestructable, heaviest, confidence inspiring bike in the world. Feels like riding an 80cc MX bike. A TMX has never ever broken. Figure about 6300.00 for a complete bike. Not the "most" expensive just the best. Not a bike for an expert racer looking for a title, but the most fun bike money can buy. Find a way to get one!

Strengths: hugely amazing in travel plushness. you could easily take out some hikers with this beast!

Weaknesses: a tad overweight at 54lbs, I could only bunnyhop about 1" off the ground, while on a bmx, I can do 30+ inches!

Bottom Line:

this is the best bike for downhill, 5 minutes and you will agree, nothing compares, NOTHING! if you have the $7000+ for a complete bike, this is what you want, forget the car and house, get this bad boy!

This is the best bike in the whole world. Quite simply you cannot get any better. If you are looking for the best edge in downhill racing and 200-foot dropoffs, this bike will give it to you and more. Please get used to the shock setup before dropping off the Empire State Building as you may feel a slight bump upon landing if you don't land it within 60 degrees of how you should.This bike will take anything. Go for it.